A Light at the End of the Tunnel
by Otaku-Okami
Summary: A written ending for the manga "With The Light: Raising an Autistic Child." Autistic middle schooler Hikaru is growing up, which brings new challenges to the Azuma family.
1. Chapter 1

"Sachiko!" A lean and wiry older woman gestured from her daughter-in-law to her grandson, who had just broken an expensive-looking vase. Takako Azuma was not a woman to be trifled with—despite her old age (which she refused to disclose to anyone, even her beloved granddaughter Kanon), she was harsh and sharp-tongued. From her tall, proud stance beginning at her short grey hair to the traditional Japanese clothes she wore, Takako was impregnable and did not take kindly to begging for mercy.

Sachiko winced. "Yes, Takako?"

Takako's eyes narrowed. "Don't 'yes,' me, Sachiko. Get that boy under control!"

"Hikaru, say you're sorry!" Sachiko pleaded.

Hikaru, though avoiding eye contact from both his mother and grandmother, softly replied, "I'm sorry, grandmother."

Hikaru then proceeded to walk out of the room. Sachiko couldn't help but notice how tall her son had grown within the past year or so. He had finally grown taller than his mother. His hair was longer than it had been—his black bangs passed his eyebrows by a little less than half an inch. Not only that, but Hikaru was also beginning to show some stubble on his chin.

"Hikaru, come back!" Takako shouted angrily, stamping her foot loudly. "You need to clean this mess up!"

"No!" Hikaru covered his ears.

"Takako, please try to be quiet—Hikaru hates loud noises, and we've told you time and time again that he needs simple words and phrases." In a much gentler tone, Sachiko called Hikaru over. "Please clean up."

Hikaru nodded politely as Sachiko handed him a broom and dustpan.

"Well, if he can't understand a phrase like that, I don't know how he's ever going to get into high school."

"Takako!" Sachiko gasped. "How could you ever say something like that to your grandson?"

"I only say what I see," Takako murmured, slipping out of the room quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

A tall man with thick-rimmed glasses and dark hair entered the Azuma household—he had clearly inherited some of his height from his tall mother, Takako. Unlike Takako, Masato was broad in the shoulders and had a handsome face.

"Sachiko?" Masato called.

A woman with light brown hair and a gentle gaze entered the room. "I'm glad you're home," Sachiko said softly. "I think we need to talk."

Hikaru entered the room along with Kanon, who looked drowsy. Her wavy hair was tousled as if she had just woken up from a good night's rest. "What are you doing up, Kanon? It's awfully late." Masato picked up his daughter, tossed her in the air, and caught her. Hikaru raised his hands, waiting to be tossed, too. "Eh? Hikaru, you're too big for that…"

Hikaru pouted a little bit, and walked over to the television, ignoring his father. Kanon joined her brother.

_At least he didn't throw a fit… _Masato thought, relieved.

* * *

"Your mother said she doesn't think Hikaru is going to get into high school. What should we do?"

"Well… She does have a point. High school in Japan isn't mandatory. And won't he be taking entrance exams? How can we expect Hikaru to pass? He's spent a lot of time in special education classrooms."

"How can you say that? He's our son, Masato! He's got to go to high school!" She pounded her fist on the table, causing the china on the shelves nearby to rattle. Hikaru jumped out of his spot in the living room.

"Be reasonable, Sachiko. Don't you think I want our son to succeed? But let's be realistic. Hikaru has been struggling in middle school. He can barely keep up with the non-special education class. And I don't think most high schools are going to be very accommodating for him. We'll find a different path for him to take."

Sachiko sighed. "I just don't want your mother to give us trouble about her firstborn grandson not finishing high school."

"I'll present it as my idea. No worries, Sachiko."


	3. Chapter 3

"I have a better idea: Let's sent Hikaru to a special home."

Masato rubbed his temple. _Mom is giving me a huge headache._ "For the thousandth time, Mother, we're not taking Hikaru anywhere like that."

Takako sighed. _It was worth a try._

"Actually, I was thinking of finding a job for Hikaru. He's very good with trains. He knows where each and every one of them goes. Maybe he could even become station manager!"

Takako snorted. "I doubt that."

"Well, maybe that's a stretch, but he is a bright boy."

"Then why can't he at least finish high school?"

"He is struggling enough in middle school. He barely got into a good one anyways—you know that."

"Then why can't he be an artist or something? I've seen many films when autistic characters have some special ability."

"Mother, those are _movies._ They're _not real_. Hikaru only remembers what he wants to, anyways. Those art lessons were a very, very kind offer, but I don't think it's quite right for Hikaru."

Hikaru walked in. "Trains? Father, can we see the trains?"

Masato glanced over at Takako and grinned, knowing he won the debate. "Yes, Hikaru. Let's go see the trains."


	4. Chapter 4

Hikaru grinned. "That's a bullet train! It goes all the way to Tokyo! And…" He went on and on about the trains. He had always loved them since he was very young, though it had been a long time since he had ridden one.

Masato smiled at his son's excitement—Hikaru could barely contain it.

"Hikaru, do you want to go to school?"

"I'm going to school!" Hikaru shouted. Hikaru could envision it all—the clocks, the desks, and the yellow number two pencils. He could practically hear the teacher's dull voice…

Masato's face fell. _Hikaru typically repeats phrases he hears from time to time… I guess it's a little difficult for him to understand. Well, he seems to be excited. We could at least have him take an entrance exam or two. But even then, __**if **__Hikaru gets into a high school, will the teachers and students accept him? They'll have to accommodate him quite a bit. _

Masato snapped out of his thoughts for a moment, only to find that there was no sign of Hikaru. "Oh, crap… Where did he go?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hikaru wandered around Shibuya Station, clearly very lost and very confused. _Why is it so loud here? At least I have my earplugs… _His earplugs, which were actually a pair of old and fuzzy earmuffs, covered his ears, leaving him deaf to any dangers around him.

When a train pulled into the station, Hikaru couldn't help but jump up and down in excitement.

"Oi, that kid sure likes trains," a short man in the ticket booth noted.

"I've seen him around here before. I think it's Hikaru Azuma," replied a woman who was in the middle of purchasing a ticket for her daily commute to work. "Where is the rest of his family? He shouldn't be on his own—especially at a place as loud and noisy as Shibuya. Not to mention the memorial of Hachiko isn't too far off from here—he's terrified of dogs, even statues of them. I should probably call his mother."

* * *

"Mrs. Azuma? I think your son is lost in Shibuya."

"That's a huge city—how are we going to find him? He didn't run away, did he?" Sachiko gasped, horrified at the prospect of her child lost in such a busy place.

The woman on the other end of the line laughed heartily. "Sorry, I meant Shibuya Station. He's here with me."

"Oh, thank goodness. I'll be right there to pick up him."

* * *

Masato ran around, searching frantically for his son. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he cried out, "Hikaru? Hikaru, where are you?"

A voice from further away called, "Mr. Azuma? I think I have your son!"

"Miss Honda? Oh, thank goodness... I'm so glad you found Hikaru. How's Miyu doing?"

Miss Honda smiled at the mention of her daughter, who, like Hikaru, also had autism. "She's doing well."

"Sorry, Miss Honda," Hikaru said reflexively.

"It's okay, Hikaru." Miss Honda almost ruffled his hair, but then remembered Sachiko saying that Hikaru hated anything touching his head. Turning to Masato, Miss Honda then said, "He's grown very tall. Anyways, you might want to call Sachiko. I informed her that Hikaru was lost in Shibuya Station."

"Five foot eleven inches," Hikaru said.

Miss Honda looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh, that's your height. Very nice, Hikaru. Anyways, Masato, be sure to call Sachiko."

"Will do, Miss Honda!"

"Bye, Miss Honda!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Thank goodness he's safe," Sachiko said. "Why do you think he ran off?"

"He probably saw the train and just got excited. I don't think there's much of any other reason behind it, to be honest." Masato took off his spectacles for a moment. "Sachiko, I've been thinking… I actually want Hikaru to take a few exams. I changed my mind."

"Why is that, Masato?"

"If he doesn't attend high school, it is rather unlikely he'd get a good-paying job. Even if in the end, he were nothing more than a bag boy at a grocery store, I would at least like him to be able to one day live on his own, comfortably. Also, when I mentioned the word "school," he became very excited."

* * *

Hikaru trudged into the living room and groaned. "Bored…"

Takako dismissed Hikaru's comment as she turned on the television, which was set on Hikaru's favorite channel. As she was about to change the channel, Hikaru grabbed the remote and shouted, "No! My show!"

Takako threw her hands up in desperation. "Oh, for crying out loud, Hikaru! Can't you see I was going to watch the news?" she snapped.

"Sorry, grandmother," Hikaru replied mechanically, shying away from Takako's glare.

"I've had enough of your apologies, Hikaru! If you're going to apologize and mean it, you need to stop misbehaving!"

Sachiko heard the shouts from the other room. With a sigh, she went to see what all of the commotion was about. "What on earth is going on?"

"_Your _son isn't letting me watch the news!"

"Well, it is 5:00. It's time for his favorite show. Takako, you don't want to make Hikaru throw a tantrum, do you? Let him watch. It's part of the schedule we posted for him, remember?"

Takako muttered something incomprehensible under her breath. Sachiko took it as a form of agreement.

"Thank you."

"But Kanon would never behave this way."

"I know. But Hikaru isn't Kanon. Don't expect him to behave the same way as my daughter."

* * *

Hikaru contentedly watched his favorite show. _5:00 TV show, 6:00-6:45 video games and dinner, 7:30 studying, 9:00 bed time. _He mentally recited the schedule over and over again. This schedule had been ingrained in his system for a long time. Bedtime had become later over time, which had been a struggle at first (and a shock to his system), but Hikaru was beginning to enjoy the freedoms of being able to stay up later. He could read a book, do math homework, or play video games. _It's like being a grown-up._


	7. Chapter 7

Light from the window fell upon Hikaru's sleeping face, which was beginning to show signs of waking life. "It is 7:00. Monday. School today at 8:30."

Hikaru slid out of bed. "Messy sheets," he noted. He smoothed out the wrinkles and pulled the covers up. He then folded them over so they wouldn't go over his pillow. He hated it when that happened.

Hikaru proceeded to brush his teeth. He brushed in circles with a soft-bristle toothbrush and flossed using a toothpick. He wasn't terribly good at working with his hands, so floss itself was too difficult to use otherwise.

"Hikaru, breakfast is ready!" Sachiko called, flipping a pancake on the griddle.

"No thanks," he replied, fully dressed for school. He wore a basic green-colored t-shirt—no TV or video game characters were on it in order to avoid distractions—and dark wash jeans.

"You have an entrance exam for high school today, Hikaru. Let's put on some different clothes."

Hikaru stared blankly at her.

"Can you wear a new shirt?" Sachiko rephrased.

Hikaru understood this time. "Yes, mother."

"Good. Let's find that new shirt we bought."

Sachiko rummaged through piles of messy clothes in Hikaru's room. _It's funny how Hikaru keeps everything __**except**__ his clothes neat and organized._

She finally found a nice polo-style top that would suit Hikaru's needs for his big exam. _It's strange that Masato agreed to let him try to enter this school. There's no special education program, but I do like the close distance and the teachers there. They all seem willing to help Hikaru. They also have a good reputation, too. But why do I feel so uneasy about letting Hikaru attend?_


	8. Chapter 8

"Please put your pencils down. The test is over."

Hikaru listened to his teacher's instructions, just as he had practiced at his middle school.

"Okay, come back tomorrow. The results will be posted then."

* * *

The five members of the Azuma family piled into one small car, excited to see if Hikaru had gotten into the school. "Too… tight," Hikaru muttered.

"It's going to be okay, Hikaru," Kanon said reassuringly, "Look, we're already at your school!"

Hikaru looked puzzled. "No. It is not my school."

"It might be next year. Let's see," Masato replied enthusiastically.

Sachiko scanned the listing of names. "Look! He's right there!" she pointed. "His score was a little below average, but he's been accepted!"

Takako tried to hold tears back. "Grandmother, are you crying?" Kanon asked. "Why are you crying?"

Takako sniffed and tried to regain composure. "I never thought he'd make it, Kanon. They're happy tears." _Then again,_ _I guess that means he'll be staying longer…_ _Maybe these tears aren't as happy as I'd thought. _

* * *

The ride home proved to be a happy one. "I am a high schooler now," Hikaru said proudly.

Sachiko couldn't believe how far Hikaru had come. He'd been a baby who didn't say "Mommy" until he was four, and now he could speak full sentences. He'd thrown tantrums and ran off sometimes. Now, Hikaru tried to remain calm if something was off-schedule (though fits still occurred) and he occasionally gets lost. Raising an autistic child had been difficult, but the result was completely worth it.

Fin.


End file.
